The Hypocrisy of The Civilized World
What is the most important element of a book? The setting? The plot? The conflict? Or the resolution? One could make the argument that the most important literary element in a work is characterization. The creation of a character’s personality can be as imperative to a novel's story and its themes. Mark Twain in his novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, exemplified characterization through many of his major and minor characters, while criticising the ways of the American people in the 1800’s, thus creating one of the best social commentaries ever created by an American author. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain speaks through many of his characters and teaches readers about human nature …show more content…
Twain starts to teach on moral education and intellectual education when he tells of when Huck ended up with the Grangerford family. The Grangerfords, although described as good people, are slave owners and have been in a constant duel with a nearby family. By the end of the novel, the entire Grangerford family, with the exception of the women of the family, have been murdered in the duel. Twain explains the melancholy moment, “I covered up their faces , and got away as quick as I could. I cried a little when I was covering up Buck’s face, for he was mighty good to me” (115). The killing of the Grangerford family represented the ignorance of young Americans and how they would blindly follow stupid ideals in which they knew nothing of. Buck himself said that he did not even know why they even began fighting, showing the lack of moral education for the Grangerford family. Twain talks about moral education again when he writes of when the King and the Duke were Tarred and Feathered by a crowd. Twain writes,“I see they had the king and the duke astraddle of a rail--that is, I knowed it was the king and the duke, though they was all over tar and feathers” ( 230). This scene in the novel makes Huck say, “Human beings can be awful cruel to one another” (230) which showcases what Twain was trying to prove …show more content…
Although written over 130 years ago, the messages in Huck Finn still carry today and still relate to the pain that many people feel today. The ignorance that many people held in the time of the novel still reflects some of the beliefs of Americans today and proves how far we still need to go. Ultimately, Twain illustrated the fact that humans point fingers too much and should focus on bettering themselves before criticising or hurting
What is the most important element of a book? The setting? The plot? The conflict? Or the resolution? One could make the argument that the most important literary element in a work is characterization. The creation of a character’s personality can be as imperative to a novel's story and its themes. Mark Twain in his novel, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, exemplified characterization through many of his major and minor characters, while criticising the ways of the American people in the 1800’s, thus creating one of the best social commentaries ever created by an American author. In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain speaks through many of his characters and teaches readers about human nature …show more content…
Twain starts to teach on moral education and intellectual education when he tells of when Huck ended up with the Grangerford family. The Grangerfords, although described as good people, are slave owners and have been in a constant duel with a nearby family. By the end of the novel, the entire Grangerford family, with the exception of the women of the family, have been murdered in the duel. Twain explains the melancholy moment, “I covered up their faces , and got away as quick as I could. I cried a little when I was covering up Buck’s face, for he was mighty good to me” (115). The killing of the Grangerford family represented the ignorance of young Americans and how they would blindly follow stupid ideals in which they knew nothing of. Buck himself said that he did not even know why they even began fighting, showing the lack of moral education for the Grangerford family. Twain talks about moral education again when he writes of when the King and the Duke were Tarred and Feathered by a crowd. Twain writes,“I see they had the king and the duke astraddle of a rail--that is, I knowed it was the king and the duke, though they was all over tar and feathers” ( 230). This scene in the novel makes Huck say, “Human beings can be awful cruel to one another” (230) which showcases what Twain was trying to prove …show more content…
Although written over 130 years ago, the messages in Huck Finn still carry today and still relate to the pain that many people feel today. The ignorance that many people held in the time of the novel still reflects some of the beliefs of Americans today and proves how far we still need to go. Ultimately, Twain illustrated the fact that humans point fingers too much and should focus on bettering themselves before criticising or hurting